Nones (), also known as None ( la, Nona, "Ninth"), the Ninth Hour, or the Midafternoon Prayer, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

s and is said around 3 pm, about the ninth hour after dawn. In the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while di ...

the Nones it is one of the so-called "little hours". In the

Oriental Orthodox Church The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent ...

es, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Indian Orthodox Church, it is one of the seven fixed prayer times to be recited by all Christians.

History

Origin

According to an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

custom, the day was, like the night, divided into four parts, each consisting of three hours. Among the ancients the hour of Nones was regarded as the close of the day's business and the time for the baths and supper. This division of the day was in vogue also among the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, from whom the Church borrowed it. In addition to Morning and Evening Prayer to accompany the sacrifices, there was prayer at the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours of the day.

Early Church

The Apostles continued to frequent the Temple at the customary hours of prayer (Acts 3:1): "Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer."Donovan, Colin B., "Liturgy of the Hours", EWTN
/ref> At an early date mystical reasons for the division of the day were sought. St. Cyprian sees in the hours of Terce, Sext and Nones, which come after a lapse of three hours, an allusion to the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

. He adds that these hours already consecrated to prayer under the Old Dispensation have been sanctified in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

by great mysteries—Terce by the descent of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

on the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

; Sext by the prayers of

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

, the reception of the

Gentiles Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...

into the Church, or yet again by the

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

; Nones by the death of Christ.

St. Basil Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...

merely recalls that it was at the ninth hour that the Apostles Peter and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

were wont to go to the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

to pray. St.

John Cassian John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman ( la, Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, ''Ioannus Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern ...

, who adopts the

Cyprian Cyprian (; la, Thaschus Caecilius Cyprianus; 210 – 14 September 258 AD''The Liturgy of the Hours according to the Roman Rite: Vol. IV.'' New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1975. p. 1406.) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christ ...

interpretation for Terce and Sext, sees in the Hour of Nones the descent of Christ into

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. But, as a rule, it is the death of Christ that is commemorated at the Hour of Nones. The most ancient testimony refers to this custom of

Terce Terce is a canonical hour of the Divine Office. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around 9 a.m. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the third hour of the day after dawn. With Sext, None and Compline it belongs to the so-called "Litt ...

Sext Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a canonical hour of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around noon. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the sixth hour of the day after dawn. ...

, and Nones, for instance

Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen ...

, the

Canons of Hippolytus The ''Canons of Hippolytus'' is a Christian text composed of 38 decrees (" canons") of the genre of the Church Orders. The work has been dated to between 336 and 340 A.D., though a slightly later date is sometimes proposed. Egypt is regarded ...

, and even the ''

Didache The ''Didache'' (; ), also known as The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν), is a brief anonymous early Christian tre ...

'' ("Teaching of the Apostles"). The ''Didache'' prescribed prayer thrice each day, without, however, fixing the hours. Clement of Alexandria and likewise Tertullian, as early as the end of the 2nd century, expressly mention the

Canonical Hours In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of fixed times of prayer at regular intervals. A book of hours, chiefly a breviary, normally contains a version of, or selection from, such prayers. In ...

of Terce, Sext, and Nones, as specially set apart for prayer. Tertullian says explicitly that we must always pray, and that there is no time prescribed for prayer; he adds, nevertheless: "As regards the time, there should be no lax observation of certain hours—I mean of those common hours which have long marked the divisions of the day, the third, the sixth, and the ninth, and which we may observe in Scripture to be more solemn than the rest." Clement and Tertullian in these passages refer only to private prayer at these hours. The

also speak of Terce, Sext, and Nones, as suitable hours for private prayer; however, on the two

station days Station days were days of fasting in the early Christian Church, associated with a procession to certain prescribed churches in Rome, where the Mass and Vespers would be celebrated to mark important days of the liturgical year. Although other ...

, Wednesday and Friday, when the faithful assembled in the church, and perhaps on Sundays, these hours were recited successively in public. In the 4th century there is evidence to show that the practice had become obligatory, at least for the

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s. The eighteenth canon of the

Council of Laodicea The Council of Laodicea was a regional Christian synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. Historical context The council took place soon after the conclusion of the wa ...

(between 343 and 381) orders that the same prayers be always said at Nones and

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , mea ...

. It is likely that reference is made to famous

litanies Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''li ...

, in which prayer was offered for the catechumens, sinners, the faithful, and generally for all the wants of the Church.

states that the most common practice was to recite three psalms at each of the Hours of

, and None.

Since the 7th century

Practices varied from monastery to monastery. At first some tried to do the entire Psalter (150 Psalms) each day, but eventually that was abandoned for a weekly cycle built around certain hours of the day. In the Rule of St. Benedict the four

Little Hours In Christianity, the Little Hours or minor hours are the canonical hours other than the three major hours. In the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Indian Orthodox Church, two denominations in Oriental Orthodox Christianity, these fixed prayer time ...

of the day (Prime, Terce, Sext and Nones) were conceived on the same plan, the formulae alone varying. The Divine Office began with the Invitatory, like all the

; then follows a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

, special to Nones; three

psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

, which do not change (Psalm 125, 126, 127), except on Sundays and Mondays when they are replaced by three groups of eight verses from Psalm 118; then the capitulum, a versicle, the

Kyrie Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives f ...

, the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

, the , and the concluding prayers. The writers of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

have sought other

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

explanations of the Hour of Nones.

Amalarius of Metz Amalarius (''c''. 775–''c''. 850) was a Frankish prelate and courtier, temporary bishop of Trier (812–13) and Lyon (835–38), and an accomplished liturgist. He was close to Charlemagne and a partisan of his successor, Louis the Pious, througho ...

(III, vi) explains at length how, like the sun which sinks on the horizon at the hour of Nones, man's spirit tends to lower itself also, he is more open to temptation, and it is the time the demon selects to try him. For the texts of the

Fathers A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...

on this subject it will suffice to refer the reader to the above-mentioned work of Cardinal Bona (c. ix). The same writers do not fail to remark that the number nine was considered by the ancients an imperfect number, an incomplete number, ten being considered perfection and the complete number. Nine was also the number of mourning. Among the ancients the ninth day was a day of

expiation Propitiation is the act of appeasing or making well-disposed a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding divine retribution. While some use the term interchangeably with expiation, others draw a sharp distinction between the two. The discus ...

and funeral service—, the origin doubtless of the

novena A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pe ...

for the dead. As for the ninth hour, some persons believe that it is the hour at which our first parents were driven from the Garden of Paradise. In conclusion, it is necessary to call attention to a practice which emphasized the Hour of Nones—it was the hour of

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

. At first, the hour of fasting was prolonged to

, that is to say, food was taken only in the evening or at the end of the day. Mitigation of this rigorous practice was soon introduced. Tertullian's famous pamphlet rails at length against the ''Psychics'' (i.e. the orthodox Christians) who end their fast on station days at the Hour of Nones, while he, Tertullian, claims that he is faithful to the ancient custom. The practice of breaking the fast at Nones caused that hour to be selected for

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...

and Communion, which were the signs of the close of the day. The distinction between the rigorous fast, which was prolonged to Vespers, and the mitigated fast, ending at Nones, is met with in a large number of ancient documents (see

Fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

). In the Roman Liturgy the office of Nones is likewise constructed after the model of the Little Hours of the day; it is composed of the same elements as in the Rule of St. Benedict, with this difference: that instead of the three psalms (125-127), the three groups of eight verses from Psalm 118 are always recited. There is nothing else characteristic of this office in this liturgy. The hymn, which was added later, is the one already in use in the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Office—''

Rerum Deus tenax vigor ''Rerum Deus Tenax Vigor'' is the daily hymn for None in the Roman Catholic Breviary. Translations of the hymn The original version of the hymn had the word "lumen" in the first line of the second verse, but some versions substituted the word " ...

''. In the monastic rules prior to the 10th century certain variations are found. Thus in the Rule of Lerins, as in that of St. Caesarius, six psalms are recited at Nones, as at Terce and Sext, with

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are the Psalms. Their form was favored by St Ambrose and they feature prominentl ...

, hymn and capitulum. St. Aurelian follows the same tradition in his Rule , but he imposes twelve psalms at each hour on the monks. St. Columbanus, St. Fructuosus, and St. Isidore adopt the system of three psalms. Like St. Benedict, most of these authors include hymns, the capitulum or short lesson, a versicle, and an . In the 9th and 10th centuries we find some additions made to the Office of Nones, in particular litanies,

collect The collect ( ) is a short general prayer of a particular structure used in Christian liturgy. Collects appear in the liturgies of Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches, among othe ...

s, etc.

Current practice

Roman Rite

With the reforms of the Second Vatican Council the traditional one-week Psalter cycle became a four-week cycle. Furthermore, is only mandatory to pray one of the so-called "little hours" (

, and None). In the liturgy of the hours of some religious orders Sext and None are combined to form a "midday hour". However, bishops, priests and others, "who have received from the Church the mandate to celebrate the liturgy of the hours" are still expected to recite the full sequence of hours, as closely as possible to the traditional time of day.

Antiochene Rites

West Syriac Rite

In the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. Th ...

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...

Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in ...

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serve ...

Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...

, and the

Syro-Malankara Catholic Church The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of ...

, the office of None is also known as and is prayed at 3 pm using the

Shehimo Shehimo ( syr, , ml, ഷഹീമോ; English: Book of Common Prayer, also spelled Sh'himo) is the West Syriac Christian breviary of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the West Syriac Saint Thomas Christians of India (Malankara Jacobite Syria ...

breviary.

Byzantine Rite

In the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

and

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine C ...

Churches the office of the Ninth Hour is normally read by a single

Reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

and has very little variation in it. Three fixed psalms are read at the Third Hour: Psalms 83, 84, and 85 (

LXX The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...

). The only variable portions for most of the year are the Troparia (either one or two) and

Kontakion The kontakion ( Greek , plural , ''kontakia'') is a form of hymn performed in the Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The kontakion originated in the Byzantine Empire around the 6th century and is closely associated with S ...

of the Day. The service ends with the ''Prayer of the Ninth Hour'' by Saint

Basil the Great Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...

. During

Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast, ( Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denomin ...

a number of changes in the office take place. On Monday through Thursday, after the three fixed psalms, the Reader says a

kathisma A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, ''kai-isma''), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a ...

from the

Psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters w ...

. The Troparion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten hymns that are chanted with prostrations. Then a portion of the ''

Ladder of Divine Ascent ''The Ladder of Divine Ascent'' or ''Ladder of Paradise'' (Κλίμαξ; ''Scala'' or ''Climax Paradisi'') is an important ascetical treatise for monasticism in Eastern Christianity, written by John Climacus in AD; it was requested by John, Abb ...

'' may be read. The Kontakion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten troparia. Near the end of the Hour, the Prayer of St. Ephraim is said, with prostrations. During

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

, on Great Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the services are similar to those during Great Lent, except that there is no

, and instead of the normal Lenten hymns which replace the Kontakion, the Kontakion of the day (i.e., that day of Holy Week) is chanted. On Great Thursday and Saturday, the Little Hours are more like normal. On Great Friday, the

Royal Hours The Royal Hours, also called the Great Hours or the Imperial Hours, are a particularly solemn celebration of the Little Hours in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. The Royal Hours are celebrated only three times a year: on the ...

are chanted. During the Lesser Lenten seasons (

Nativity Fast In Christianity, the Nativity Fast—or Fast of the Prophets in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church—is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church a ...

Apostles' Fast The Apostles' Fast, also called the Fast of the Holy Apostles, the Fast of Peter and Paul, or sometimes St. Peter's Fast, is a fast observed by Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, and Reformed Orthodox Christians. In the Byzant ...

and

Dormition Fast The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the '' Theotokos'' ("Mother ...

) the Little Hours undergo changes similar to those during Great Lent, except the Lenten hymns are usually read instead of chanted, and there are no . In addition, on weekdays of the Lesser Fasts, an Inter-Hour (Greek: ) may be read immediately after each Hour (at least on the first day of the fast). The Inter-Hours may also be read during Great Lent if there is to be no reading from the ''

'' at the Little Hours. The Inter-Hours follow the same general outline as the Little Hours, except they are shorter.

Armenian Rite

In the Armenian Liturgy, the Ninth Hour (, ) commemorates both the Son of God and the death and surrender of isrational spirit. In the Armenian Book of Hours and in many liturgical manuscripts, the Ninth Hour concludes with a service of hymns, psalms, readings, and prayers which would normally be recited during the (Divine Liturgy or Mass). In the Armenian Book of Hours and in many liturgical manuscripts, the ninth hour includes the service of prayers, hymns, and Bible readings which would normally take place at the (Divine Liturgy or Mass), without the prayers of the eucharistic canon (preparation, consecration, post-communion prayers) and many of the litanies. There is no separate heading for this service as there is for the other services in the Book of Hours. Still, this is a distinct service because the concluding “Our Father” which ends every Armenian liturgy, including all of the liturgies of the hours, also occurs at the end of the Ninth Hour proper in analogy to the First, Third, and Sixth hours, and before this additional service. This service may be called the Service ( ), the service of mealtime, which was taken at the end of the day at the conclusion of work, which would have been after the ninth hour. Since fasting before communion was the rule in the ancient church, the ninth hour suggested itself as the appropriate time to offer the . Thus, a service which contained the readings and much of the prayers from the was added after the Ninth Hour for those days when no would be celebrated. One can compare this service to the Typica service celebrated in churches belonging to the Slavic tradition within the Byzantine liturgical rite. Not all ancient manuscripts of the Armenian hours have this service, therefore it is unclear whether this service is a later importation from the Byzantine liturgy, with the words and sequence of the Armenian substituted for those of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy.

=Outline of the Service

= Introduction: “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father...”; “Blessed is the Holy Father, true God. Amen.” Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me...”; “Glory...Now and always...Amen.”; Hymn of the Ninth Hour: “The light of day suffered with you... (...)”; Exhortation: “At every hour this is my prayer...(...)”; Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...”; Prayer: “Blessing and Glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.” During the Great Fast'':'' The Prayer of John Mandakouni “With a holy heart... (...)”; Proclamation: “That we may pass this hour...(...)” Otherwise continue here'':'' Prayer: “Lord of hosts...(...)” Psalm (Daniel 3:33-34): “Lord, do not forsake us...(...)”; Hymn of St. Nerses (Tone 3): “Accept, Lord, the request of the patriarch Abraham...(...)”; Proclamation: “Let us beseech our lifegiving savior, Christ,...(...)”; Prayer, “Having fallen down before you...(...)”; Prayer of Sarkawag Vardapet: “Remember, Lord your servants... (...)”; Prayer: “God, beneficent and full of mercy...(...)” Psalm 116 “I loved, because the Lord heard...(...)”; Psalm 117 “Bless the Lord all nations...(...)”; “Glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.” On dominical feasts and the commemorations of martyrs'':'' Hymn (varies according to the tone of the day) Otherwise continue here'':'' Exhortation: “For the souls at rest...(...)”; Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...For the souls...(...)”; “Lord, have mercy” (thrice); Prayer: “Christ, Son of God,...(...)” (on fasting days, said thrice); “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father...” The Service Exhortation: “Our psalmody and our supplications...(...)”; “Amen.” “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father...Now and always...Amen.” Hymn of the Time of Entrance ( ; varies for the tone, commemoration, and liturgical season) Song of the Time of Entrance ( ; varies) Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...accept, vivify, and have mercy.”; “Blessing and glory to the Father...Now and ever...Amen.” Antiphon (varies) Hymn (varies) Holy God (varies) Proclamation: “Again and again...For the peace of the whole world...(...)”; Prayer: “For you are the merciful and philanthropic God...(...)” Psalm (varies) Reading from the Apostles (varies) Canticle (varies) Reading from the Prophets (varies) Chasou Alleluia (varies) Pre-Gospel sequence Gospel (varies) “Glory to you, Lord, our God.” Nicean Symbol: “We believe in one God...”; “As for those who say...(...)”; “As for us, let us glorify...(...) Proclamation: “Again and again...And again with faith...(...); Prayer: “Our Lord and savior...(...)”; “Peace be with all.”; “Let us bow down before God.”; Prayer: “By your peace...(...)”; “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ.”; “May the Lord God bless everyone. Amen.”; “Our Father...” “One is Holy. One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Father, true God. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Son, true God. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Spirit, true God. Amen.”; “Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit.” “Blessing and glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.”; “Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever.” (thrice); “Blessed is God. You are the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets...” “I shall bless the Lord at all times, at every hour his blessing upon my lips.” “Be blessed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you and with everyone. Amen.”

Alexandrian Rite

In the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

, and

Coptic Catholic Church The Coptic Catholic Church ( ar, الكنيسة القبطية الكاثوليكية; la, Ecclesia Catholica Coptorum) is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Catholic Church. Along with the Ethiopian Catholic ...

, the Compline is prayed at 3 pm using the Agpeya breviary before retiring.

East Syriac Rite

The equivalent of the Nones in the

East Syriac Rite The East Syriac Rite or East Syrian Rite, also called the Edessan Rite, Assyrian Rite, Persian Rite, Chaldean Rite, Nestorian Rite, Babylonian Rite or Syro-Oriental Rite, is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Divine Liturg ...

, employed by the

Chaldean Catholic Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = Assyrian Church.png , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows Baghdad, Iraq , abbreviation = , type ...

Syro-Malabar Church lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ , native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg , caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East,, ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية sometimes called Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,; ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسول� ...

and

Ancient Church of the East The Ancient Church of the East is an Eastern Christian denomination. It branched from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964, under the leadership of Mar Thoma Darmo (d. 1969). It is one of three Assyrian Churches that claim continuity with t ...

is .

References

External links

Basil the Great's ''Prayer of the Ninth Hour''
Eastern Orthodox

Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions {{DEFAULTSORT:Nones Byzantine Rite Little Hours Armenian Apostolic Church

History

Origin

Early Church

Since the 7th century

Current practice

Roman Rite

Antiochene Rites

West Syriac Rite

Byzantine Rite

Armenian Rite

=Outline of the Service

Alexandrian Rite

East Syriac Rite

See also

References

Further reading

External links